Antibacklash attachment for fishing reels



March 27, 1951 E. w. PETERSON 2,546,776

ANTIBACKLASH ATTACHMENT FOR FISHING REEL-S Filed Sept. 17, 1949 Snventor Gttornegs Patented Mar, 27, 1951 thwart ANT'I-BacKnAsH meanest: FOR FISHING REELS ir'ii'waiii tears; iii'rtit; Mich. Application September 17, 1949, SerialNo'. 116,239

snarl, resulting from the spool overrnnnirig-the line as the latter leaves the reel; a snarl ape propriatly labelled a birdsnest becauseof its confused-appearance; Certain prior reels" have had so-calledzanti backlash me'cha-rrism'built into them for 'the purpose' o'f preventing: such but these devices'liavenot been nearly so su'c-i cessfulas the results obtained byveitpert'manual thumbing-30f the-reel spook. Thipresent'inveri tio'n provides anti-backlasli-d'evi'ce which may beattached to an reel of standard: construc tiofi a fi'cf automatically thumbs the line on the spool. H w

One object' of this invention is to provide an anti-backlash device for fishing reels. which is attachable to and detachable gfrom aqstandard fishing reel without the necessity of building it into the re -during manufacture.

device for fishing reels which automatic" ly' ap plies-2 predetermined and'adj us able tensionfto the'fishing use wound on thespbol asth sea drliire' is b'e'ihg cast.

Another object is to provide an anti-backlash device for fishing reels of the foregoing character having a thumb rest thereon for applying additional pressure or for applying suflicient pressure to halt the spool and cause the bail or lure to be deposited at any desired point in the water.

Another object is to provide an anti-backlash device for fishing reels which applies a yielding pressure to the line on the spool, the pressure being greater when the spool is full of line at the time the lure or bait leaves the castin rod and decreasing automatically as the lure or bait approaches its destination.

Another object is to provide an anti-backlash device for fishing reels which automatically provides a thumbing of the reel spool without necessity of skill on the part of the operator as has hitherto been practised by experts with long experience manually thumbin their reel spools to apply such pressure thereto, as the lure or bait is being cast.

Another object is to provide an anti-backlash device for fishing reels which is of simple design and consequently of low cost of manufac- Anhthr object is to provide' an anti-bacliilazsh secti n;- Figure 3 B tat 1si-.mgun eai ture, th ereby, bringing it witriiii the reach at all fishstm ne a s1 1 is e ont an ie sh n showing an nti backlas h device of. the present r tig app d there n Eigurez a H rticalse'ction taken 51655 the e. 1: in E sural Fi ure re l atiei lit-i 5 iihi ii i and anti-ba es? qeri esll we n t -f s ra ,:,a l

all and intcrzcenr. QQ1ZQi Yr TQ5:- Q 1 9i? i ar e mfi and i i-@ 9 hav nefiieba sll t e Lsatithc hoi emithc sei; i u e: 2) tq whichis tattache ltthc .usua e1 ated-reel at achment late 9 tlar u tefii fi J:

e p. .sh, liwi th ni-th tisherman;.. he tens fa in parts are conventional and their details are be-V yond the scope of the present invention.

The anti-backlash device or attachment, generally designated 30, of the present invention consists of a pressure plate 3| of brass or other suitable material having a bent-up portion 32 terminating in a thumb rest 33 parallel to the plate 3|, the forward edge of which is curved upward as at 34 (Figure 2) and provided with a notch 35. The portions 3!, 32 and 33 are thus of approximately U-shaped cross-section (Figure 2) and in assembly constitute a pressure applicator, generally designated 36.

The upwardly bent or bridge portion 32 between the plate 3| and the thumb rest 33 is very nar row in proportion-to the width of the plate 3|.

On either side of the bridge portion 32 the rear- Ward edges of the plate 3| are bent into approximately semi-cylindrical portions 31 of approximately the same radius of curvature as the cross .bar I6, so as to partially encircle the latter and pivotally enga e it.

The bridge portion 32 is provided with a central aperture 38 (Figure 2) through which passes the threaded portion of a screw 39 carrying a thumb nut 40. The inner end of the screw 39 is attached, in any suitable manner, to the lower end of a helical tension spring 4|, the upper end of which is attached to the butt 42 of a hook 43 which is adapted to snap over the cross bar l5. While the drawings show a separate hook 43, it will be obvious that the upper end of the spring 4| may itself be bent to provide such a hook integral with the spring 4| itself, as shown at 48 in Figure 4. The notch 35 is provided in the central forward edge of the pressure plate 3| to enable the latter to swing upward at greater distance without colliding with the hook 43 or spring 4|.

The modification shown in Figure 4 is adapted for use with so-called level-wind reels wherein the cross bar |5a corresponding to the cross bar 5 of Figure 2 is slotted for the travel to and fro of a line guide 44 which distributes the line evenly upon the spool as the reel is wound up. A spring anchorage 45 is provided in order to attach the upper end of the spring 4| without conflicting with the travel of the line guide 44. The spring anchorage 45 consists of an elongated member 46 of wire or the like which is substantially the length of the cross bar I51;

and which has'its opposite ends bent as at 47 in partially circular paths inorder to grip the opposite ends of the cross bar a adjacent their junctions with the end members l2 and I3. The hook portion 48 on the upper end of the spring 4| is connected to the elongated member 46 immediately behind the cross bar i501, leaving the line guide 44 free to travel to and fro in its slot '49 without interference.

In the use of the anti-backlash deviceor attachment 30, the device is attached to the reel bypassing the pressure applicator 36 upward and forward so that the bar |6 enters between the plate 3| and thumb rest 33 (Figure 2), and the semi-circularly bent portions 37 pivotally engage the cross bar Hi. The hook 43 is then hooked over the cross bar I5, or (Figure 4) the hook portion 48 of the spring 4| is hooked over the spring anchorage 45, the ends 41 of which are then hooked over the cross bar l5. The fisherman then screws the nut 4!) to and fro along the screw 39 until the desired pressure is applied by the plate 3| against the line L around the spool 22. The device then acts like a bell-crank with the spring 4| pulling upon the bent portion 32 to force the pressure plate 3| against the line L on the spool 22.

The fisherman makes the cast in the usual way, and as the line L unwinds from the spool 22, the pressure exerted by the pressure plate 3| upon the line L decreases, in conformity with the desired action. The user of the device can temporarily apply greater pressure to the line L, if he so desires, by pressing" downward with his thumb on the thumb rest 33. At the end of the cast or when the bait or lure has reached the desired position, the fisherman can apply sulficient pressure in this manner to halt the rotation of the spool 22 instantly and cause the lure to drop into the water at the desired point. In this manner, the spool 22 and the line L upon it can be easily and automatically thumbed by a inexperienced fisherman, and the backlash or snarls ordinarily encountered completely prevented. By unhooking the hook 43'or 48 from the cross bar l5. or 1 5a, the device can be' instantly detached from the reel and placed inthe tackle box or otherwise stored until casting is resumed.

What I claim is An anti-backlash attachment adapted to b mounted on the cross bars of a fishing reel, said attachment comprising a pressure applicator having a pivot portion pivotally attachable to one of said cross bars and having a line' contact portion engageable with the line on said reel, a pressure adjusting screw threadedly mounted on said applicator, and a resilient element yieldingly connecting said adjusting screw of said applicator to another of said cross bars and yieldingly pressing said contact portion against the line on saidreel. v J

' EDWARD W. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Babcock Feb. 8, 1944 

